Two New Hyatts Coming to North San Jose

Yet another duo of hotels is coming to the North First area. It seems like every hotel announced in this general area is coming in pairs. First we had SpringHill Suites (146 rooms) and Residence Inn (175 rooms) at Airport and North First which will share the same physical building and back of house operations. Then earlier this year we found out about Hampton Inn and Suites (145 rooms) and Home2 Suites (140 rooms), which will be housed in separate buildings at the old Piercey Toyota lot, but likely share operations and resources.

Now we have two Hyatts being announced: a Hyatt Place clocking in a 164 rooms and seven-stories, and an extended stay Hyatt House with 140 rooms (five-story building). This will all be located on six acres at North First and East Brokaw Road, very close to both the airport, the casinos, and a massive 2 million SQFT office project proposed for the area. I also have to mention that there is easy access to light rail here, making these hotels great options for people flying into town to catch an event at the new 49ers Stadium.

The project will cost $65 million and construction will begin in Q2 2015 with completion expected in late 2016.

Hyatt House: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/california/hyatt-house-san-jose-airport/sjcxa
Hyatt Place: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/california/hyatt-place-san-jose-airport/sjcza

Source: SVBJ, Hat tip to Joseph Meduri

Sourisseau News 2014-02 Video

In the latest installment of the Sourisseau News, see what the Alameda Blvd looked like in 1880! Question for the historians out there...what happened to the electric railway on the Alameda?


Sourisseau News 2014-02 from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

Saturday Stats: Car Ownership Highest in San Jose

This week's stat is kind of a two-parter. The Wall Street Journal posted an article stating that a larger share of US households do not own a car than in 2007. This is entirely true, but the change in American car ownership over those five years amounted to a measly half of a percentage point (0.5%). Some cities like San Diego, Austin, Ft. Worth, and Denver actually saw car ownership rise. San Jose takes the cake for the highest percentage of car ownership, with 94.2% of households owning a car. Over those five years, households with cars dropped in San Jose by 0.4%, close to the drop for the US Average.

Now part two is an article that bothers me by The Atlantic. They took the same data the Wall Street Journal used and asked the question, "why do the smartest cities have the smallest share of cars?" Let me remind everyone that San Jose was named the Smartest City in America by the TODAY Show a couple weeks ago, and we were at the very bottom of the data set for car ownership (lower means more households with cars in this case) along with cities like Austin and San Diego. Not only do I find this argument very weak, but the writer of this article completely corrupted his points by conveniently removing San Jose from his data set for "Cars and College" showing the correlation between education and car ownership (arguing that people with more education are less likely to own car). Check out the articles and lets us know what you think.

Sources: WSJ, The Atlantic, Hat tip to Tim Reed!

Rey Giese Tribute Exhibition @ Kaleid

A new exhibition honoring the late Rey Giese (1919-2013) is premiering today as part of the South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk . Rey was the premier sign-painter of Silicon Valley and his work can still be seen throughout the area. He painted thousands and thousands of signs throughout the course of his life and worked all the way up into is his 90s.

The exhibition will showcase 75 years of his work. In addition to Rey Giese originals, a dozen contemporary sign painters will also be doing recreations of Giese designs. I would highly recommend making this your first stop on the art walk... this is pure Bay Area history and Rey Giese's work is well worth celebrating.

The exhibit and artist' reception runs from 7-11pm today at Kalied. You can RSVP (not required) right over here. His works will also be on display until the end of the month at the gallery.

SF Beer Week is Here! Check it out With the "Japantown Beer Walk"

                                                       JAPANTOWN BEER WALK-

                            LOCATION: SAN JOSE'S JAPANTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD

                                                             FEBRUARY 8TH, 2014

                                                                 TIME: 2PM - 6PM

SF Beer Week is here yet again, starting off its opening Gala on February 7^th 2014, at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco. The San Francisco Brewers Guild and associates sponsor this week-long event as a collaborative effort between local breweries and participating cities throughout the Bay Area. As it states on their website, “Our purpose is to restore and preserve San Francisco’s brewing heritage, and unite those who make local beer with those who love it”; it couldn't be done in a better fashion than its week’s worth of events and activities dedicated to the craft of brewing. The contagious spirit of this eventful week and its rising fame--putting together as many as 500 events--has reached into neighboring cities, and has made its way into San Jose’s Japantown. Participants in association with the festivities have made this ongoing tradition hit its 6^th year in the Bay Area, and for San Jose’s Japantown Beer Walk it marks its 3rd year with beer tasting sweetness at every unique destination.

As it grows in popularity there is an ongoing effort between organizations to bring awareness to this cool tradition located near the heart of Downtown San Jose. I had the pleasure of participating last year for the first time. Joining me was a good friend and we had an inebriating experience walking from establishment to establishment, tasting what seemed like a good amount of quality beer. Which now reminds me; it might be his turn to buy the tickets this time around, and I should recommend dinner a little closer to the event than his house down the street. Not that the Bar-B-Q was bad (the slow cooked ribs were delicious), but I’m definitely looking forward to some sushi, or a teriyaki chicken bowl between destinations. There are a variety of great restaurants, and parlors in the neighborhood in which to dine and snack at, and it’s a good idea to take a little extra cash for any on the spot purchases you might have an itch for.

There are plenty of attractions that bring this beer walk together and if the weather permits, it should be a great one to join in on this weekend. You can take a nice long stroll with your dog to visit the many Art Galleries in the neighborhood, and if your sitter isn’t available to watch the kids; than at least one parent can enjoy the beer while the other shops at one of the many establishments and boutiques that will be open that day catering to the event between 2-6pm. Registration starts at Jack’s Bar at 12pm.

Between the many breweries that participated last year and will be participating this year, I would have to say it will be hard to predict what will grab my attention. Many will be participating and there are vast choices at the local liquor store now; all with different names, different alcohol content, and cool looking labels. So, what I will do this time around is write down on a Jacks Bar napkin my favorite brewery and the reasons why. I will challenge you all to do the same, and if you can, send it out that day on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook with the hashtag #beerlist, to see if we all can maybe agree on a favorite to remember for next time we’re at Bevmo. For the sake of the companies and destinations participating in the Japantown Beer Walk be sure to hashtag their names on your pictures and posts, and don’t forget to include cool hashtags like #japantownbeerwalk #sfbeerweek #SJcheckthisout #thisbeerisawesome….A few hours later… #ilostmyphone #waitimonmyphone #takingacab

But please people, drink responsibly. There is a need for this city’s citizens to take matters into the hands of sober good friends, family members, or at the very least cab drivers willing to drive you and your party around. Also, enjoy the many festivities presented throughout the Bay Area running until February 16^th, 2014. For more information with locations, events, and activities running throughout the Bay Area go to http://www.sfbeerweek.org/schedule/. You can find a list of breweries, locations, and buy your tickets in advance for the Japan Town Beer Walk at www.thebeerwalk.com, or at Jack’s Bar located at 167 E. Taylor St., San Jose CA for $30 ($35 the day of). Check out http://sfbrewersguild.org for a more in depth look at what’s brewing around Northern California, and be sure to remember not to drink and drive.

Lunar New Year Event @ Valley Fair this Saturday

Westfield Valley Fair is hosting a cultural event on February 8th in celebration of the lunar new year. The agenda includes Shanxi drummers, martial arts demonstrations, a traditional lion dance, and calligraphy. The kids will also be well served with craft tables, photo booths, and student art.

The event runs from 11am to 2pm at J. Crew Court and you can RSVP at their Facebook event page right over here.

You're Invited! First to Market - New restaurant opening in the SoFA District

Opening this month in the SoFA District - First to Market, an American comfort food restaurant. 

Full disclosure before I get into the nitty gritty - I am friends with one of the owners. However, he didn't ask me to blog about it - but I am, because I know you would all want to know about what this new restaurant is about. 

Also because I'm inviting you, The San Jose Blog readers, to a special soft opening! But first, a little more about the restaurant...

First to Market, located on the street level of the Agenda building in the SoFA District will bring downtown signature dishes from Chef Domingo Wolbert such as Bison Tartare, Shrimp and Grits, and Housemade Tots to name just a few. They will also be the first restaurant in San Jose to carry an authentic Southern Country Ham. Their menu will be seasonal, allowing even regulars to continue to experience new tastes as the year goes on.

Owners Joe Gradillas and Jennifer Lin were both raised and educated in San Jose. Between them, they have extensive entrepreneur and restaurant experience; Gradillas has had success with several businesses downtown and Lin has a degree in Hospitality Management from SJSU along with a Culinary Arts degree from PCI.

When asked about the origin of the name, First to Market, this is what they had to say:

"It describes a time in US history when all food was made from scratch, and processed, shelf stable or frozen foods didn't dominate the shelves of pantries and refrigerators. This was a time when "supermarkets" didn't exist, and to plan a celebration, family members would have to plan early trips to the local market, to ensure they would have everything they need and get started on preparing the meal with ample time to finish. We want the food to be reminiscent of that time, when rich flavors came from the love of preparing a meal from scratch for the entire day. However, we have a running joke that we chose the name because we are literally located on First street, between First and Market Street."

Because starting any new business can be adventurous, the owners have started a small fundraising campaign to help cushion the first months of opening. If you'd like to help them out - check out their indiegogo.com campaign here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-bring-american-regional-cuisine-to-downtown-san-jose

They haven't forgotten about where they are, the SoFA District. Art and community is a big part of that area of Downtown (First Fridays, SubZero, The ZERO1 Garage, etc) and to bring an element of that into the restaurant they will have one of their large walls dedicated to a local artist each month. Now, tooting my own horn for just a moment -- I was honored to be the first artist to showcase on their wall! As you walk in, you will see a handful of my photography pieces; I've themed my collection to include people and scenes from the South Bay/San Jose area. Be sure to check them out and see what you recognize.

Now here's the fun part - for me, and for you, of course.

You are invited to a soft-opening as my guest!

Join me, Josh, and others as we welcome First to Market to the SoFA District.

Special Event

Date: Friday, February 21st 

Time: 5pm to 9pm
Address: 399 S 1st Street, San Jose

Bring your friends and mix and mingle as you check out the newly decorated building, meet the owners, and best of all - get a chance to taste a select menu! Items will be available as appetizers to sample, FREE to guests. 

We really hope you can make it out, as we'd love to get a chance to meet with our loyal readers! Please let us know you'll be joining us via the comments, Twitter or Facebook!

If you miss the soft-opening, stop by after February 25th when they will officially be open!

Downtown Illumination Project Takes a Step Forward

The Office of Cultural Affairs nabbed a $600,000 ArtPlace America grant a couple years back to implement several art projects Downtown. The first two are moving forward with the adoption of a resolution to execute an agreement with Dan Corson, who will be responsible for the artwork at Highway 87 & Santa Clara as well as Highway 87 & San Fernando. We also have more details on the project itself.

The Santa Clara Street project will be called Sensing You and will include a mural covering the columns and "underside" of the overpass as well as LED lighting elements. Sounds great so far, no? It gets better. The project includes sensors that cause the artwork to react based on the volume of pedestrian traffic. There will also be a partnership with Google's Nitanic Lab--creators of the augmented reality game Ingress--that will allow players to have special abilities to interact with the artwork. Awesome.

Over at San Fernando Street, the project will be entitled Sensing Water. The LED artwork will vary day to day and season to season based on information taken from the Guadalupe River.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing both of these come to life, as well as the other artwork and interactive exhibits that the grant will bring Downtown!

Hat tip to Brent Pearse for sending this in.

Highway 87 & Santa Clara Street

Highway 87 & San Fernando Street